Social Responsibilities & Ethical Policies

Teas are not created equally. From one estate and factory to the next, environmental and social standards vary greatly. Metropolitan Tea is committed to dealing only with growers and manufacturers that exhibit a sustained commitment to environmental and social ethics.

If suppliers are found in violation of any of these standards, they are dropped from our supply list immediately.

Fair Treatment & Trading – an ethical checklist

Our annual tea-buying missions provide us with regular opportunities to inspect the estates and factories we work with. Our checklist includes:

Zero tolerance for child & slave labor

Fair compensation for workers

Free housing, medical care and education

Reinvestment in infrastructure

Respect for the labor force

Good community relationships

Only when all categories have been confirmed, will we do business with a supplier.

More on child or slave labor: Zero tolerance policy.

Child, and even slave labor does occur in some developing countries. We take strict care to ensure all of our products are produced 100% free of both. We feel very strongly about this, and wish all tea companies took the same consideration.

Habitat Conservation

Habitat conservation is good for the environment and for tea. Soil nutrients are maintained, creating a healthier terroir for growing luxury grade leaf. Our experience has also shown that the healthier the habitat, the greater the crop yields for our farmers.

We look for tea farms with a working Environmental Management System that includes: